mantoschai

[mantoschai]

when my mom tells me not to go out in the rain but i remember when shakespeare said, "you say you love the rain, but you open your umbrella..." and so i go out anyway to dance in the rain

[mantoschai]

Scorpio rising

your rising sign reflects how the world sees you

strong presence

magnetic

charming and chiseled

curt and to the point

stubborn

intense and powerful

secretive and private

ambitious

mystic and dark

[mantoschai]

english teachers complementing your writing is a different kind of drug.

[mantoschai]

hellooo

I am back! Thrilled to be done with my finance major for ever because now I can devote my time to the subjects I am passionate about: literature and urdu. For all the South Asian academics, or anyone into desi academia, pls follow my blog on instagram @mantoschai, and keep a look out for my blog that will be launched soon😘❤️

[mantoschai]

got locked out of tumblr now i'm backkkkkkk

[mantoschai]

Vibes I get from Indian Cities

Mumbai

Mumbai feels like that kid who just doesn't give up. They'll run, fall, hurt themselves but they won't give up. Mumbai feels like a kid that fully believes in "work hard play hard". They may come of as superficial but they have deep understanding and vast expanse of feelings to it. Mumbai is the kid who I generally accepting of everyone, is on good terms with everyone and will not refuse to help anyone.

Pune

You know that meme with the triangle with "Sleep", "Social Life" and "Good Grades" on each of the vertices and says that you can only choose two? Well, Pune choose all three. Pune is an all rounder.

Delhi

Delhi feels like that aunt or uncle who didn't get married or have kids and is young at heart. Delhi is well traveled, has an immersive knowledge about everything and is wise. Lowkey has a drinking/smoking problem though.

Kolkata

Kolkata feels like someone who is very well educated, has spent years abroad and then returned home to take care of their aging parents and because they felt they had to reconnect with their homeland to find themselves again

Chennai

Chennai has a motherly vibe to it. Chennai is traditional and has strong values which may not be as cool or as up to date and Tech savvy as the other cities, but no one provides you with comfort you the way Chennai does.

Bangalore

Bangalore is that 20 something year old who wanted to be an artist of some sort when they were a teenager, but their parents wanted them to get a more traditional degree so they got an engineering degree but ultimately ended up with their own start up and are now doing something they are passionate about. They spend their days drinking coffee and they spend their nights drinking craft beer.

Gangtok

Gangtok feels like a child who just joined kindergarten and sees the whole world with a new perspective everyday and is just learning to be apart from their parents for the first time. Gangtok is hopeful, Gangtok has a sparkle in their eye and a bounce in their step and curiosity in life. Gangtok has nothing but love to give to everyone and everything they see in life.

Jaipur

Jaipur has balance. Jaipur has traditional values with a modern thinking. Jaipur respects their elders but is not afraid to call them out on their bullshit. Jaipur wears kurtas with ripped jeans. Jaipur has the past, present and future in perfect balance.

Udaipur

Udaipur is like the older gentleman who makes you believe that chivalry isn't dead. Udaipur has royal blood, stories of valour and courage and loyalty. Udaipur makes young men want to be like him and young women want to be with a younger version of him.

Varanasi

Varanasi is the grandmother. She had to change her name but didn't let that change her identity. Varanasi has healing powers, the best aam ka achar and will never let you return empty stomached.

Shillong

Shillong is the quiet teenaged girl who exudes radiance. She is beautiful. And not just in terms of her looks. She is beautiful because of her soul and her mind. She has a few close friends, and knows how to party. She will also wake up on time the day after a party and get back to her work on time.

[mantoschai]

every single day i think about how horribly rumi’s poems have been translated from persian into english & how they’ve been turned from gorgeous poems abt islamic spirituality into these��� pithy vapid little quotes that white people post as instagram captions. white scholars & translators straight-up falsified and misrepresented the essential themes of and islamic mysticism inherent to his work in favor of turning it into easy-to-consume love poetry & it never fails to make me angry

[mantoschai]

1. “Raven” was an occasionally-encountered name for a girl in the contemporary period, and “Ebony” would be at least recognizable as a name. The other elements of this name are flatly atypical.

2. During this part of the War Period, this character’s hairstyle would not be considered shocking, but it would be viewed as garish and nonconformist.

3. A contemporary music performer known for a melancholy style of music and a gothic and dramatic aesthetic. The title of the work probably comes from one of her songs. However, her aesthetic and attitude has little in common with that in this work, being much more conventional and less garish.

4. A member of the contemporary band “My Chemical Romance”, also notable for a “gothic”, melancholy, and macabre aesthetic

5. i.e. the speaker considers him to be handsome and attractive; despite the pornographic material later in this work, the word “f_______” is here used only as an expletive.

6. Vampires as romantic figures had been increasing in popularity over this period, with a trend away from malicious monsters towards seductive but more benevolent figures, romanticized by their capability of being terrible.

7. Strangely, despite the characterization of this character as a Satanist, “witch” should here be characterized as having meaning similar to “wizard” and not “idolater”, “sorceress”, “maleficar”, or other practitioner of what we today recognize as “witchcraft”. The background material to this work constantly faced accusations of being satanic by an uneducated reactionary public to whom the difference between technology, wizardry and witchcraft was not meaningful (”witch” was sometimes even considered a female equivalent to “wizard”!), which completely failed to diminish its popularity.

8. It is important to understand that “goth” as an aesthetic, counterculture or subculture had a completely different meaning in the contemporary period than it does today – what remains similar is the love of the melancholy, the macabre, the dramatic, the romantic, and contempt for conventionalism. In the mid-to-early-late War Period, “Gothic” people were associated with contempt for morality, certain types of sexual display (usually of a shocking and sometimes fetishistic type), various forms of concupiscence, and a fairly significant connection to the occult and even to outright Satanism, though the latter was all but universally an affectation (this is true of most Mid War Period satanism). See contrast on p 321, The Gothic Movement In the Catholic Church. Moreover, the “gothic” aesthetic as described by this character is a stunted and over-the-top form that has also been corrupted by the counterculture-commericalism that was universal in the Late War Period.

9. A clothing store mostly specializing in counterculture-commercialized and faddist apparel. Critics accused it of being a mercantile vulture that fed by turning more honest and vivacious countercultures into fads.

10. It was almost unheard-of for women in the Mid or Late War Period to wear corsets, but they appeared in the Gothic subculture (which itself heavily borrowed from sources such as Victorian-era clothing, including mourning dress). However, what Enoby is describing is probably not actually a true corset, but a “corset top”, which is essentially a laced bodice. Either would be worn with neither chemise nor overblouse.

11. Probably a nondraped skirt that barely passes her wrist.

12. Hose, stockings, or tights in the form of a wide-open mesh

13. Probably not actually military issue boots; these were tall, heavy black leather boots with lacing all the way up.

14. This character’s outfit would be considered inappropriate for school in the Late War Period, but not shocking to Late War Period mores except by its garishness.

15. Originally meant students at a university-preparatory school; with the extremely high percentage of students seeking to attend university in the Late War Period, this came to mean a subculture of young people who adopted a highly conventionalistic and professionalistic attitude and sought admission to the prestigious and traditionalistic universities in the Eastern United States, often without academics being their true passion. Such people were often viewed as social climbers and sometimes attracted contempt from both their less-professionally-oriented peers and from those who were true intellectuals. 

16. Also known as “giving the finger”; a very rude gesture in the War Period as it is in ours.

18. This phrase went through considerable popular memetic mutation (as did the entire tract): “It was _______ <weather> so I felt ________. A lot of _______ stared at me. I ________ them.” See extra material 34c.

17. I.E. “How are you today?”, “how are you feeling?” as a greeting.

[mantoschai]

AREAS OF YOUR LIFE TO SET GOALS IN IN 2022 ✨

1. health & wellness

more nutritious whole foods

daily servings of veggies & fruits

weekly meal prep

weekly meal planning

create new recipes

consistent daily workouts

daily walks

stretching + yoga every morning

7 hours of sleep minimum

2. finance

set monthly budgets

track daily & weekly spending

read books on financial literacy

create savings goals

save 20% of monthly paycheck

increase sources of income

learn more on investing

3. personal growth

read atleast 2 books a month

listen to an informative podcast weekly

grow side hustles

work on personal time management

practice positive self talk & affirmations daily

daily meditation & journaling

gratitude lists

create a vision board

self care, self care, SELF CARE !

spend less time on social media

[mantoschai]

Aap ko bhool jayen hum itne toh bewafah nahin, Aapse kya gila karen Aapse kuch gila nahi

I am not that unfaithful that I will forget about you, What complaint can I have with you I don’t blame you

Shisha-e-dil ko todna unka to ek khel hai, Humse hi bhool ho gayee unki koi khata nahi

Their game is to break a heart made of glass, It was my own fault none of their mistake

Kash wo apne gham mujhe de dein to kuch sukoon mile, Woh kitna bad-naseeb hai gham bhi jise mila nahi

I wish they would give me their heartbreaks so that I can rest, Those are very unlucky who didn’t even received any sadness

Jurm hai gar wafah toh kya kyun main wafah ko chodh doon, Kehte hain iss gunah ki hoti koi saza nahi

If loyalty is a crime why should I stop being faithful, They say that this crime doesn’t have a punishment

Hum toh samajh rahe the yeh tum mile pyaar mil gaya, Ek tere dard ke siva hum ko toh kuch mila nahi

All this while I was thinking that I have you I have all the love, But except your pains I didn’t had anything

— Tasleem Fazli

[mantoschai]

people say French is the language of love but bitch have u heard Urdu

[mantoschai]

When Emily Dickinson said "Susan I would have come out of eden to open the door for you if I had known you were there."

And when Hozier said "I slithered here from eden just to sit outside your door."

[mantoschai]

Your daily reminder to pull-your-shit-together. Remove the distractions. Delete the apps. Use flight mode. This is your one life. All those people you see making moves, do you think they’re sat there wasting their morning scrolling when they have shit to do? No, they’re up, working out, meditating, writing, reading, doing whatever the fuck they need to do to get them to where they want to be. Stop holding yourself back, you have so much potential, you’re literally the cause and the cure. Do you want you to do well? Live the life of your dreams? Well babygirl it’s not gonna happen unless you break out of these unproductive habits. You need to get into momentum, you need to have a plan and stick to it. You need to channel your energy into moving forward. You can do this, let’s go! 

[mantoschai]

accidentally observed an object in the sunlight and became an art major

[mantoschai]

Do you have any recs for books written by Muslim authors?? Under any and all genres??

hii okay most of these, if not all, are ya/contemporary but here's all that i know-

ayesha at last by uzma jallaludin is one of my favourite books. its a pride and prejudice retelling w muslim characters set in canada. it's not particularly exemplary but its one of my comfort reads <3. the author also has another book called hana khan carries on which is a retelling you've got mail, with two rival food businesses competing on the same street, an anonymous podcast and (mild spoilers ahead) a taylor swift flash mob <3

hani and ishu's guide to fake dating by adiba jaigirdar is also one of my favourite books, about hamaira khan who comes out as bisexual to her friends, who tell her it can't be because she's never dated a girl, so she tells them she's with the only other indian in school, ishita dey. its warm and soft and the book equivalent of a hug. the author also has the henna wars about nishat who is struggling to get her family to accept her as a lesbian. a side plot includes a rivals to lovers and a school competition she's trying to win. adiba also has a new book coming out sometime this year called a million to one but i don't know much of what it's about, other than that its a sapphic heist in the titanic.

the love and lies of rukhsana ali by sabina khan isn't a book i like very much, but i'm adding it anyway. it's about a sapphic muslim bangladeshi girl who was caught kissing her girlfriend by her parents and then flown to bangladesh, where a flurry of escapes and arranged marriages follow. it was a bit too dramatic and unrealistic for me, but the author wrote it inspired after her own daughter came out to her, so i'll let you decide whether you want to read it.

a very large expanse of sea by tahereh mafi is about a muslim girl in america a year after the events of 9/11. it's a high school love story and kind of cliche, but it's good nevertheless. tahereh mafi is more widely known for her series shatter me but i haven't read it so i can't recommend it.

counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan is one of my friend's favourite books ever and is about a ya contemporary novel about a bangladeshi-american girl who gets the courage to finally tell her parents she wants to become a humanities student and not a science one (the quintessential desi coming of age moment) side plot features a fake dating scheme going on with the resident Bad Boy™ of the school while her parents fly back to bangladesh for a month. it has loads of anxiety representation and a dadu i would die for, although the muslim representation reviews are mixed, so i will let you decide.

famous on booktok for a while, but i'll still recommend we hunt the flame by hafsah faizal which is a fantasy duology set in the fantasy equivalent of arabia, which features a group of people on quests to uncover lost artifacts in an island nobody can access. i've read the first book and i'm yet to read the second but i will recommend it, although i find it slightly above average. something i do want to point out is that the main character, zafira has a widow's peak, which is something that endeared me to her a lot, bc of how rare it is to find in young adults fiction. the author also has another series coming out this year called a tempest of tea which i'm more excited for.

the family tree by sairish hussain is a book that didn't hit me at all but almost all of my friends loved this book dearly, so i guess it's just a me thing. it follows a british muslim family over the course of around 30ish years, amjad's wife dies, leaving him to take care of both their children. several years later, saahil and ehsaan are celebrating graduating university when they run into an accident that changes their lives forever. several years after that its up to zahra to bring the family back together.

ace of spades by faridah abiké-iyímídé is about the only two Black students in a rich all white academy, and a secret texted who calls themselves 'ace', who threatens to spill their secrets to the entire school. its a very compelling thriller and i read the entire second half in one go, not being able to take my eyes off the page for a second, would recommend v much.

these are the books i could think off the top of my head, there are probably more that i'll add if i happen to remember. most of these are ya, so if youre not into ya i'm sorry <33. there are instagram pages like @bookifiction and @radical_reading that focus on islamic lit and ownvoices if you want more recs as well as tumblr pages like @papenathys and @gaaandaaaalf who have an extensive list of book recs.

[mantoschai]

South Asian Academia

Things I want to learn this year

- Mughal History, Culture, and Architecture

- All about the transition from the Mughal era to the British era and the impact on common people in terms of tradition and culture

- Influence of the British on South Asian people

- Literature from pre-partition: themes, authors, literary works, and character analysis

- Literature from post-partition: themes, authors, literary works, and character analysis

- Difference in the themes of literature between the pre and post partition era

- How did Arabic and Persian influence Urdu

- History of Urdu

- The influence of Urdu on Politics

- Renowned Urdu literature, authors, and poets

- Basics of Persian (Urdu consists of many Persian and Arabic words; Urdu is a refined form of Persian)

- Difference in the current culture and art of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh considering that they have the same foundation

- Post partition influence on Pakistani art and theatre

- Prepartition South Asian architecture: Mughal architecture, British rule, etc

- South Asian diaspora

- Influence of South Asian traditions on contemporary art and culture: figures, popular work etc

- Modern vs Traditional South Asian art and music

- History of Pakistan post independence

- South Asian history

- South Asian anthropology

- The evolvement of South Asian art ovet the the years and the relevant reasons

- History of Urdu literature

Other things I want to study this year

- Hitler

- Shakespeare

- Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (a Pakistani political figure)

- Karl Marx

- About the renaissance and victorian era

- About the medieval British era

- Saadat Hassan Manto

- Other South Asian dark academic topics (please list them below)

[mantoschai]

When Jane Austen wrote,"If I loved u less,i might be able to talk about it more" and when Nizar Qabbani said ," My love for u is higher than words,so i have decided to fall silent" and when Katherine Mansfield wrote, "what I feel for you cannot be conveyed in phrasal combinations,it either screams out loud or it stays painfully silent but I promise you-it beats words. It beats world's". My heart ached beautifully <3